Latest data reveals that smartphone buyers prefer iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones over the more fancied Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus launched recently. In fact, if one goes by the numbers released by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, an agency known for doing these studies, the overall figures for all Apple products seem to have clocked higher incremental sales than all the Android devices put together in the premium segment.
The market share reported for the two iPhone models is a decent 20.1% while the two Samsung smartphones could muster only a dismal 8.1% in comparison. One has to take into account that the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were made available to the buyers in the US only from April 27. The firm has also compared the combined sales of Samsung’s previous year’s releases, Galaxy S7 and S7 Plus for the corresponding period last year and mentions that it was 8.8%. From that perspective also, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have not been able to allure the buyers’ hearts in the US.
As mentioned, even when compared to the sales figures for the smartphones of major phone companies whose devices run on the Android OS, the all iPhones put together have showed an increase of 5.8% over the last year. At the same time, the Android phones, which include brands like Samsung, LG, Moto have sold 5.9% less phones this year.
The overall market shares for iPhones and Android phones now stand at 36.5% and 61.7% respectively. What’s more, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG 6 are not even figuring in the top 10 best-selling smartphones in the US market.
In complete contrast to this, however, the scenario is the reverse in the Chinese market. There, the iOS based products have continued to clock lower sales, by as much as 3.8% and retaining only 16.2% of the market, while the Android phones have seen an increase of 4.3% in their sales numbers taking their share to 83.4% in the market in China.
If one looked at the top markets in Europe, comprising countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, Great Britain and France, both the sides seem to have witnessed marginal increases; 2.2% for iOS and 1.1% for iOS phones.
It might be interesting to do such a study of the Indian market. Obviously, the Android phones must be the dominant ones here.
Image: Maurizio Pesce